Gov. Haley Fires Up Tea Party Crowd

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Thursday spoke to fervent tea party crowd hours before the first GOP presidential primary debate, underscoring key themes for the 2012 presidential election. She spoke at the “1st Presidential Debate Freedom Rally” organized by the South Carolina Greenville Tea Party, The Post and Courier of Charleston reported Friday.

About 200 people came out to hear Haley, who said she often is asked why South Carolina seems to kick off the presidential campaign.

After her speech, she told reporters she wants the candidates to touch on topics such as Osama bin Laden, the debt ceiling, the National Labor Relations Board’s lawsuit against Boeing, rising gas prices and how they would pursue the war on terror.

“We want real answers,” she said. “We want specifics.”

There are some things she doesn’t want to hear as well. “We don’t want to hear about President Obama is doing wrong,” Haley said. “We hear that for ourselves. We want to hear what they’re going to do right.”

She echoed those sentiments prior to a meeting with former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who didn’t participate in the presidential debate but planned to meet with Haley today, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Huntsman, the former ambassador to China, is considering whether to jump into the race for the GOP nomination.

“I want to know the issues just like the people of South Carolina want to know these issues,’ she told the Utah newspaper. “This is not a time for political talk. It’s time for real answers, real solutions and real results.”